Advocates join wild horse lawsuit

ELKO — Horse advocates successfully intervened Wednesday in a federal lawsuit that decried wild horses management in Nevada after arguing their interests were not represented by the plaintiffs or defendants.

The Nevada Association of Counties and the Nevada Farm Bureau Federation filed suit in December against the feds, alleging that expanding wild horse populations were detrimental to the range and wild animals, including horses. The suit said damage caused by horse herds didn’t allow for multiple use on public land.

The plaintiffs called for the government to immediately round up excess horses and burros and sell, auction or “dispose” of them instead of house the animals in long-term facilities.

Since then, two separate court motions to intervene were filed on behalf of wild horse advocates, who believe the intent of the lawsuit is to clear horses from public land and allow for their slaughter.

In the original complaint, NACO said it merely wants the Bureau of Land Management to follow the Wild Horse and Burro Act, and denied that it sought to remove all horses from the range.

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